


Shut Up and Dance

by WhiteravenGreywolf



Category: Lovecraft Country (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Childhood Friends, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Aquariums, Best Friends, Birthday, Camping, Christmas, Conventions, F/F, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Gay Panic, Idiots in Love, Orphan Christina, Prom
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-07
Updated: 2020-12-14
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:14:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 18,004
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27932920
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhiteravenGreywolf/pseuds/WhiteravenGreywolf
Summary: When Christina's parents die in an accident, she's sent to live with her next of kin, Dora Freeman, and her son Atticus. Soon, she meets Atticus's best friend Leti, and Leti's older sister Ruby. For the next ten year, they will become her new family.
Relationships: Ruby Baptiste/Christina Braithwhite
Comments: 82
Kudos: 158





	1. The Cousin

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! I'm back! Did you miss me?  
> This new story is not going to be looking over the whole ten years Christina spends with the Freeman (even I couldn't do that in 8 chapters). Each chapter is set about a year or two appart from the previous one. At first I wanted to write one chapter for each year but I had to cut two chapters and mix them up with others. So it's not exactly always a year. Anyway, at the beginning of the story, Ruby is 9, Christina 8, Atticus 7 and Leti 6 (cause she was born at the end of the year)  
> I hope you'll enjoy this story! If you've read the tags you know somewhat what to expect. As usual I will be posting a chapter each day. Don't expect tomorrow's chapter too early though, because I'm getting a beauty mark removed tomorrow morning early, so I'll post it when I come back. Again, I hope you'll enjoy and I'll see you tomorrow for the next one!

Christina sat in the hallway, in one of those uncomfortable plastic chairs. She'd sat in so many of those in the past few days that she'd grown accustomed to the discomfort. She was trying to focus on the book in her hands while ignoring that in the room across the hall, her future was being decided. Her next of kin was deciding whether they wanted to take her in or leave her to the system. She wasn't stupid, she knew that neither solution was ideal. But the ideal solution lay in the family vault on the other side of town.

  
She read the same sentence again for the fifth time. She looked up to stare at the door. There was a blurry window through which she could see her next of kin seated in a chair. She thought a blurry window was the most useless kind of windows. She wanted to see inside, she wanted to hear what was being said. She wanted to know all the reasons why her next of kin was going to reject her.

  
There was movement behind the window and Christina's attention snapped back to the book. When the door opened, she recognized the social worker smiling at her on the other side.

  
"Christina? Can you come in, please?"

  
Christina politely nodded and closed her book. She stood up, brushed her skirt, and walked into the office. The door was closed behind her. Another woman was seating in a chair, her next of kin. They looked nothing alike, Christina thought with surprise. The woman had dark skin, and dark, kind eyes. Her black hair fell to her shoulders. When she smiled at Christina, with such comfort and gentleness, Christina had to look away.

  
"Hello, Christina," the woman said.

  
Christina said nothing and simply sat in the other chair. The social worker explained:

  
"Christina, this is Dora. She's your only living relative. She's agreed to take you in. She has a son who is just about your age."

  
Christina nodded along at all the right places. She felt no relief or comfort at the idea. She simply accepted that this was how things would be now.

  
"Don't hesitate to call me if anything comes up," the woman said to Dora as they left the office.

  
"Thank you, have a nice day."

  
Christina followed silently her new legal guardian out of the building and to the parking lot. The car she led her to was not what Christina was used to. It was an old rectangular vehicle, the paint a sun-bleached orange. Christina sat at the back, her bag containing most of her belongings in the seat beside her. It wasn't all of her belongings, that would have been impossible to fit into a single bag, but it was the most important. Dora sat behind the wheel and drove off.

  
They stopped at a red light, and Christina could feel Dora's eyes on her in the rearview mirror. She glanced at her, and Dora offered her a smile.

  
"Miss Blake said you were a year ahead in school."

  
Christina nodded.

  
"Father asked that I skip kindergarten."

  
The light turned green and Dora drove off, joining the mid-afternoon traffic.

  
"If you want to visit your parents, you just have to ask me, alright?"

  
Christina frowned in confusion.

  
"Visit? But they're dead."

  
"I mean if you want to go to the cemetery to see them."

  
Christina's eyes fell on the streets outside.

  
"I don't want to."

* * *

They stopped in front of a brick apartment building. Dora parked against the sidewalk and picked up Christina's bag. The little girl looked around the street. They were on the south side of Chicago, she knew. Near the apartment were a bus stop, a hairdresser, and a real estate agency. She followed Dora into the building and up two flights of stairs. Her legal guardian unlocked the door and let Christina inside.

  
The whole apartment was as big as the living room in her old house. They stepped into the living room, where an old couch sat in front of a TV. Beyond was an open kitchen and a closed door. To the right were two other doors, one closed and one open.

  
"Tic," Dora called as she set Christina's bag on the ground. "We're back."

  
A boy around Christina's age emerged out of the bedroom with a mix of excitement and apprehension. He stopped dead in his tracks when his eyes fell on Christina. He was small and scrawny, all bones. Massive round glasses were perched on his nose. He was wearing a Superman tee-shirt one size too big for him. Again, Christina couldn't help but think that they looked nothing alike. She wanted to call the social worker and ask her if there hadn't been a mistake, but she trusted there couldn't have been one.

  
"Atticus, this is your cousin Christina," Dora said. "Christina, this is my son, Atticus."

  
Still, Atticus continued to stare at her, until Christina glared at him. Then, he took a step back, scared by the intensity of her gaze. Sensing that neither children would move until she did, Dora picked up Christina's bag and said:

  
"Let me show you to the bedroom."

  
Atticus stepped far away from his cousin and watched from a distance as his mother led the blonde into his bedroom.

  
"We'll have a bed for you soon enough," Dora assured. "In the meantime, you can take Tic's bed, and he'll sleep on a blow-up mattress."

  
The bedroom was just comfortable for one child. Christina wondered how they were going to get another bed in there. The room had light blue walls and was neat. All of the toys had been stashed in a toy chest. All the books and comics were pilled up in the bookshelf, except for a stack on the bedside table. There was a small wardrobe in a corner.  
Dora set the bag on the bed and opened an empty drawer of the wardrobe.

  
"Here, you can set your things in there. I'll let you settle in."

  
Christina took another look around the room, then did as she'd been instructed, placing her folded clothes in the drawer. Outside the bedroom, Dora and Tic were arguing. Dora was trying to keep it quiet, but in the small apartment, Christina could hear everything.

  
"Why do I have to share my bedroom?" Tic asked.

  
"Because she's going to stay with us forever, not for a few days. She can't stay on the couch."

  
"But I don't want to share with her, she's scary."

  
"We've talked about this already. She just lost both of her parents, she's very sad. Wouldn't you be sad if your dad and I died?"

  
"Yes, but..."

  
"So you have to be nice to her. And that means sharing your bedroom."

  
Tic continued to grumble until Christina emerged out of the bedroom. Dora smiled at her and asked:

  
"Are you done?"

  
"Yes."

  
"Alright. I have a few things to do this afternoon, so I trust I can leave you two here for a short hour," she said, sending a pointed look at Atticus. "And when I get back, we'll bake a cake, alright?"

  
Even the promise of cake didn't seem enough to lift Atticus' spirit. Dora picked up her purse and car keys and looked one last time at the children.

  
"Have fun you two."

  
She locked the door behind her. Christina turned to her cousin. He was glaring at her, but with his big glasses, he looked more like an owl unceremoniously awakened then a pissed off seven-year-old.

  
"I'm going to read," he said. "Don't bother me."

  
"I was going to do the same anyway."

  
Atticus picked up the book at the top of the pile on his bedside table and returned to the living room to sit on the couch. Christina took her book and a pair of thin rectangular glasses from her bag and went to sit on the couch too. Atticus glared at her again.

  
"You can't sit on the couch."

  
"Says who?"

  
"Says me, and this is my house."

  
"It's my house too now, and I'm older than you," Christina pointed out.

  
"No way. How old are you?"

  
"I'm eight."

  
"Well I'm ten," Atticus shouted back.

  
"You're not ten, and even if you were, you're acting like a baby just because you don't want me to sit on the couch."

  
Atticus grumbled and began reading again. Once Christina had secured the glasses on her nose, she turned to her book. They read in silence for half an hour, two bony kids with glasses, reading side by side on the couch. When she realized she was near the end, Christina slowed down, because she imagined Atticus wouldn't let her borrow one of his books once she'd finished this one.

  
They were both pulled out of their reading by a knock at the window. Christina frowned and looked at the windows around them. Had a bird knocked its head against the glass? No, the knocking continued. Atticus stood up and went to his bedroom. Christina turned around on the couch to watch what he was doing. He opened the window, and a little girl, even smaller than him, climbed in. It took a moment for Christina to understand that the girl had climbed up the emergency ladder to the window.

  
"Thanks," the girl said. "Mom sent us to pick up the groceries again but it's so boring."

  
When the girl looked in the living room, she saw Christina. Their eyes met, and the girl leaned toward Tic and whispered loudly:

  
"There's a white girl on your couch."

  
Tic rolled his eyes.

  
"It's my cousin," he explained. "She's gonna be living with us now."

  
"Why?"

  
"Cause her parents died."

  
Christina, who hated when people talked as if she weren't in the room – or in the next room, staring at them – climbed off the couch and walked up to the smaller girl. Her skin was lighter than Atticus's and she had long frizzly hair, tied in a ponytail.

  
"Hi, I'm Christina."

  
"This is Leti," Atticus explained. "She's my best friend."

  
"Why are your parents dead?" Leti asked.

  
Before Christina could even think of an answer to that, there was a loud knock at the door. It was followed by a girl shouting:

  
"Leti, I know you're in here, I saw you climbing through the window!"

  
"I don't want to do!" Leti shouted back.

  
"Momma's going to be waiting for us," the girl shouted back.

  
Atticus moved to open the door, but Leti tried to hold him back.

  
"Don't let her in."

  
Still, Atticus ignored her. He turned the lock and opened the door. A girl taller than all of them stepped inside. Her skin was darker than Tic's, and she had short dark hair pinned back by a headband. Her eyes fell on Leti first, then Tic, and finally Christina. She looked surprised for a moment, but she schooled her features and didn't stare for too long.

  
"Leti, come on, we have to go."

  
"No! I don't want to go buy food! I want to stay and play with Tic!"

  
"Well, you can't. We were supposed to be gone for ten minutes and you're already wasting time!"

  
"No!"

  
Leti ran into Tic's bedroom and shut the door before the older girl could get a hold of her. She sighed.

  
"It's alright," Atticus assured. "She can stay and play with us."

  
The older girl sighed.

  
"Fine, but I'll be back in ten minutes. You better be out then!" she added loudly so Leti would hear.

  
She glanced at Christina again. Tic expected his new cousin to introduce herself, but she seemed stunt silent. He frowned, wondering what had suddenly gotten into her.

  
"This is my cousin Christina," he explained. "This is Ruby, Leti's older sister."

  
"Nice to meet you," Ruby said politely.

  
Christina blinked and suddenly seemed to come back to life.

  
"Hi..."

  
Ruby looked at her curiously but turned to Tic.

  
"Ten minutes. No more."

  
"Yes."

  
She spared one last glance toward Christina, then walked out of the apartment, taking with her the surprising strong commanding energy she was capable of. Atticus looked at Christina.

  
"You have a problem with Ruby?"

  
Christina could only shake her head. She didn't understand what was going on. She'd never been speechless in her life. Ever.

  
The bedroom door opened and Leti emerged out with a game of Monopoly under her arm.

  
"Is she gone?" she asked.

  
"Yeah, but you can't keep running away every time you have to go grocery shopping," Atticus said.

  
Leti only shrugged.

  
"Come on, let's play Monopoly!"

  
She brought the box to the living room table. Christina tried to ignore the warm feeling that wouldn't leave her chest and turned to the two children.

  
"You can't play Monopoly in ten minutes," she said.

  
"That's why we should play it," Leti replied. "Then I can stay longer."

  
Christina thought it was a stupid plan that probably wouldn't work, but she joined the two younger kids anyway.


	2. The Aquarium

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dora and Hippolyta take the kids to the local aquarium

Keeping an eye on all four kids in the subway had been a trial. Thankfully, Hippolyta was here to help Dora. Since Diana had fallen asleep in her stroller, she'd helped rein in the children, though mostly Leti and Tic. Christina stood by the stroller like she'd been asked, while Ruby tried and failed to keep Leti's hand in hers. The little girl was very excited about the trip to the aquarium, all the more so after she'd seen the ad on TV, and saw they had otters.

  
The building sat atop high stairs, at the edge of the lake. Large white stone columns kept the triangular roof up. Banners representing the many animals they exhibited hung between the columns. There was a bit of a crowd, but they waited their turn, some with less patience than others. No matter how much Ruby tried to reign her in, Leti wouldn't calm down and tried to push her way forward. At one point, Diana woke up, and the baby was enough to take Leti's mind off of the aquarium for a moment.

  
Once they'd bought their tickets and Leti was given the map, she ran to the nearest exhibit, prompting everyone to follow her. Christina couldn't help but look at the building's architecture too. It reminded her of some of the places her parents used to take her, for boring adult parties she had been forced to attend. They entered a circular room with one giant aquarium in the middle. All sorts of fish swam through it, mostly following the outer glass one way or the other. Above the aquarium was a display with a picture of all the fish and their names.

  
Whole groups of people, families, were pressed up against the glass. Leti found an opening and put a hand on the glass.

  
"There's a shark, look, Ruby, there's a shark!" she said, pointing to a small gray shark swimming among the fish.

  
There were sea turtles and many sorts of colorful fish too, but Leti kept pointing back to the shark. Since Diana was awake, Hippolyta pulled her out of her stroller and near the aquarium. The toddler, much like Leti, pressed herself up against the glass to see the fish better. She baby-talked, seemingly mightily impressed by the animals on the other side of the glass.

  
"Yes, the fish," Hippolyta told Dee with amusement.

  
"Auntie, can I push the stroller?" Atticus asked.

  
"Yes, but be careful. Don't roll on people's feet."

  
Atticus nodded, and he took the empty stroller around the exhibit, and into the next one. Leti walked beside him, struggling to decipher the small letters on the map. Ruby stayed behind her, keeping one eye on the aquariums and the other on her sister. Christina walked behind Ruby, trying to appear impressed by the animals when she spent more time looking at Ruby, trying to keep out of her sight. She still couldn't quite understand why she didn't like it when Ruby was looking at her, or even standing too close to her. It seemed to happen only with Ruby and no one else.

  
They entered a humid zone of the building, where the air was hotter than a Chicago summer day. There, a mess of roots and vines rose above the greenish water. They saw all sorts of birds swimming above pale fish. One tank contained a small crocodile, and another had two giant snakes coiled around tree branches. Beside each was a small sign detailing facts about the animals. Christina stopped to read the first one. Did you know? Dwarf caimans are the smallest caiman in South America. They are cousins to our alligators. Christina pursed her lips thoughtfully. She could have guessed from the name. She moved to the next sign. Did you know? Boas are not venomous. They coil around their prey to suffocate them instead of biting them. Christina looked at the green snake coiled around the branch and thought she'd rather not be suffocated by one of these.

  
"Christina!"

  
She turned around and saw that her group was almost at the end of the hall, playing 'spot the poisonous frog' in front of another display. She caught up quickly.

  
"Let's make sure everyone stays close, alright kids," Dora said. "I don't want to end the afternoon at the security post looking for one of you."

  
Ruby nodded dutifully, but Tic and Leti were so taken by the frogs that they hadn't listened.

* * *

They took the elevator to the wild reef section. Diana had fallen back to sleep and Hippolyta had taken control of the stroller again. This gave both Leti and Tic free range to run from one side of the display to the other and back again, like puppies on their morning walk. Thankfully, the sight of the sharks swimming in the higher portion of the aquarium was enough to calm them down. Christina tried to stay close, but once again, her eyes fell on the sign talking about sharks. Did you know? About two dozen species of sharks are considered obligate ram ventilators, meaning they need to keep moving at all times to breathe. This includes the Blacktip Reef Shark.

  
"Christina?"

  
She looked up. Leti and Tic had been following one such blacktip reef shark as it made its way beside the glass. Hippolyta had followed them with the stroller while Dora was standing a few feet from Christina.

  
"I'm reading the information," Christina explained.

  
Dora seemed hesitant, torn between wanting to let the blonde read the signs and the necessity to keep all the kids grouped. Ruby stepped in then, walking back toward Christina.

  
"I'll stay with her."

  
Dora nodded.

  
"Alright. We'll wait for you at the elevator."

  
Christina quickly averted her eyes from Ruby and turned to the nearest sign. Did you know? White-spotted guitarfish can go by many names depending on the country. It's better to refer to them by their scientific name. Christina struggled to read the name. Ours is called Lucille, like the guitar of famed blues singer B. B. King.

  
Christina could feel Ruby standing near her, so she searched the aquarium for Lucille. When she finally noticed her, she heard Ruby chuckle beside her.

  
"It doesn't look like a guitar to me."

  
"Her name's Lucille," Christina mumbled.

  
"Well, Lucille doesn't look like a guitar. I have a guitar, I know what a guitar looks like."

  
Christina pursed her lips and moved on to the next sign. Did you know? A jellyfish is made up of 95% water. Despite that, it is the prey of many species of underwater creatures, including sharks, sea turtles, tuna, and other, larger jellyfish.

  
"Well, I knew that," Christina scoffed to herself.

  
Her reaction made Ruby chuckle.

  
"You like jellyfish?" she asked.

  
Christina shrugged.

  
"I think animals are interesting. You can learn a lot from them and how they evolved. Like axolotls. You can cut their heads in half and it will regrow."

  
Ruby made a disgusted sound.

  
"How do you know that?"

  
"I found it in one of those science magazines my father read. I didn't understand everything they said, but I remember that."

  
"Well, I don't know what axolotls are, but it sounds disgusting. I don't want to see one."

  
"They're not. I think they're kind of cute."

  
"You're a weirdo," Ruby said with amusement.

  
Christina didn't know exactly how to take it, but since Ruby was laughing, she laughed too. Without realizing it, they'd made it to the end of the display without having read any other trivia fact.

  
"Do you want to go back?"

  
Christina noticed that more and more people had crowded around the window, and she shook her head.

  
"No, it's fine. Let's go see what the others are doing."

  
When they rejoined the others, it looked like Leti was about to implode. Her patience had run very thin.

  
"Come on, you guys! I want to see otters!"

* * *

Dora and Hippolyta carried Diana's stroller down the stairs. Ruby held Leti's hand in a vice grip, hoping to keep her close. The instant they reached the sea otters, however, it was over. Leti almost threw herself against the window. Two of the fluffy animals were swimming through the water, while the two others were hugging each other on the wet stone. Leti squealed.

  
"Look, look! They're so cute!"

  
"I can see them, Leti," Ruby said, visibly exasperated. "Please calm down or you'll scare them."

  
"But they're so cute!"

  
Christina had been paying so much attention to the seven-year-old that she didn't notice the otter swimming up to her until it appeared in the corner of her eye. She looked into the small mammal's dark eyes, and it stared back for a moment, before swimming away. She was left staring at her reflection in the glass. She looked down at the sign. Did you know? The sea otter used to be hunted for its fur. While the fur trade has stopped today, it is still threatened by human activity, such as excessive fishing and oil spills. All our otters are rescue otters found on the Pacific Coast.

  
Christina looked back up. The swimming otters were now floating at the surface, holding onto each other to make a furry raft. Though she didn't want to voice it, she thought they were kind of cute.

  
Leti had to be dragged away from the otters and toward the next large display. There was an amphitheater on the other side, and Hippolyta and Dora gratefully took a seat. Christina looked at the fish and dolphins for a moment, then sat a few tiers up into the amphitheater. A few moments later, Ruby came to sit beside her.

  
"Are you okay?" she asked. "It doesn't look like you're having fun."

  
Christina pursed her lips. She looked down at Tic and Leti watching the beluga whales through the thick glass.

  
"I like it here," Christina replied. "You look like you're not having fun."

  
Ruby crossed her arms and leaned back against the stone seat.

  
"I'd be having more fun if Leti wasn't being such a little brat."

  
"Dora and Hippolyta are here to keep her in line, not you."

  
Ruby sighed.

  
"Well, I'm the big sister, so I have to make sure she stays in line. It's my job."

  
"But it's not fair," Christina pointed out. "When do you get to have fun then? When do you get to do what you want, and not what Leti wants to do?"

  
"I don't, and it sucks, but that's what being a big sister is."

  
Still, Christina wasn't convinced.

  
"What do you want to do?" she asked.

  
"I don't know. I don't even know what there's to see here."

  
Christina stood up and walked quickly down the steps. She walked up to Leti and said:

  
"Give me the map."

  
"I don't have it," Leti said with a shrug.

  
"Where is it then?"

  
Again, Leti shrugged.

  
"I don't know, I lost it."

  
Christina sighed and looked around. She spotted an employee who was keeping an eye on the room. She approached them with a polite smile.

  
"Excuse me, do you have a map?"

  
"Sure, here you go."

  
The woman handed her one of the maps she'd been carrying. Meanwhile, Ruby was still seated in the amphitheater, and had watched her from afar with confusion. Christina came to sit beside her and handed her the map.

  
"Here. What do you want to do?"

  
Ruby unfolded the map and looked through it. Christina waited for her answer. Ruby's dark eyes were focused on the map, and when they weren't looking at her, Christina thought it was just a bit easier to breathe. She realized despite the weird feelings being near Ruby provoked in her, she liked talking to her.

  
"I want to see the giant octopus," Ruby decided. "Let's see how big it really is."

  
Christina smiled and nodded. Together they made their way down the stairs and approached Dora and Hippolyta. Diana was out of the stroller again, looking at the dolphins and unsuccessfully trying to reach for them.

  
"Ruby wants to see the giant octopus," Christina said. "Can we go?"

  
The two adults exchanged a glance then nodded.

  
"Sure, where is it?" Hippolyta asked.

  
Christina unfolded the map and showed the two women.

  
"There's a bathroom near it, I can stop to change Dee and meet you there."

  
Despite Leti's protest, the two seven-year-olds were dislodged from the belugas and led back upstairs. While Hippolyta stopped by the bathroom to change Dee's diaper, Dora led the four children to the ocean section. After a few smaller aquariums, they finally found the one containing the giant octopus.

  
"Holy smokes!" Atticus said when he finally found the invertebrate.

  
Giant was the right word, as it was bigger than any of the kids. It lay against one of the rocks, observing the crowd with as much attention as it was being observed. Ruby watched with attention as one of its tentacle unfurled, exposing hundreds of suction cups which got a hold of the glass. Christina watched Ruby's reaction with a smile. She looked down at the trivia sign. Did you know? An octopus has three hearts, blue blood, and is one of the smartest animals on the planet. Additionally, its lack of bones means it can fit through extremely small holes. Christina was about to tell Ruby, but she didn't want to bother her. Instead, she glanced at the octopus, which was crawling further into the sand. Its skin suddenly went from bright orange to a lighter, almost sandy color. Ruby gasped as it did, an expression of pure amusement on her face. Maybe Christina had a new favorite animal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I'm so happy so many of you have enjoyed the first chapter!  
> All of the facts used in this chapter were taken from the Shedd Aquarium website which I used as a reference for this whole chapter. I've never been to the Shedd Aquarium (though I have been to many, many aquariums. It's a family thing) and I'm not sponsored by them, but if they want to pay me to write children books about Lucille and their rescue sea otters I will gladly take their money. I need some to buy that 1800 pieces Titanic nanoblock I found on Amazon yesterday (I'm looking for a new hobby, you guys, okay?)  
> Today is my mom's birthday! Happy birthday mom! You will never read this story because it's definitely not your thing, but without your boundless support, I probably wouldn't be here right now, giving a bit of joy to everyone daily :)  
> Anyway, as usual, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I'll see you tomorrow for the next one!


	3. Sweet Christmas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Christina doesn't like Christmas that much

Like most mornings, Christina woke up before Atticus. Her bed was in a corner of the room, too close to the window for her to look outside without getting out of bed. She could see pale light making its way through the frosted window. She knew what day it was, but unlike Atticus the day before, she wasn't excited to find presents under the Christmas tree.

  
It was her second Christmas with the Freeman, and somehow it still felt surreal. She was still holding her breath, waiting for someone to burst her bubble. Sometimes she had nightmares of waking up in her old bed, in her old bedroom and hearing her father's voice angrily echoing down the hall.

  
In the other bed, Atticus stirred awake, rolling to grab his glasses. He rubbed his eyes as he sat up and glanced at the time. Christina sat up too, reaching for a discarded sweater at the foot of her bed as she began to shiver.

  
"Merry Christmas," he said with as much excitement he could muster in his sleepy state.

  
"Merry Christmas, Tic," Christina replied, though as usual, her heart wasn't much in it.

  
Atticus slipped out of bed and went to check the living room. He gasped loudly at the sight of the presents under the tree. His mother, who was in the kitchen drinking her morning coffee, laughed.

  
"Merry Christmas, sweetie."

  
Atticus ran to the tree and began looking at the tags on the gifts, searching for his.

  
"Hold on, wait for Christina."

  
Christina was taking her time getting out of bed. She looked out of the window. The street outside was completely white, covered with a soft blanket of snow. It was still snowing, small light flakes adding to the pile.

  
"Christina! Hurry!" Atticus shouted.

  
Christina had half a mind to make him wait even more, but finally, she emerged out of the bedroom.

  
"Merry Christmas, Christina," Dora said as the little girl walked into the living room.

  
Dora already had a camera in hand, ready to snap pictures of the kids. Atticus had separated their presents into two messy piles.

  
"Look at all the things Santa brought!" he said excitedly.

  
Christina didn't believe in Santa. Her father had made sure of that. She knew very well that Dora had bought everything, and hidden them away in her wardrobe until the night before. But she wouldn't tell Atticus. She wasn't so heartless. He'd figure it out on his own one day, hopefully.

  
Christina sat beside her pile and Dora took a picture.

  
"Can I open them now?" Atticus asked impatiently.

  
"Yes, go ahead."

  
Atticus tore through the paper like a tornado through the Midwest. He unveiled the toy robot he'd been talking about non-stop for two months, and his scream of joy probably woke up any neighbor who'd tried to sleep in.

  
"It's the one I wanted!"

  
Dora took another picture and laughed.

  
"Of course it is," she said with a fond smile. "Santa wouldn't have made a mistake."

  
Atticus had torn through two other presents – a book and a set of toy cars – before he looked at Christina, who'd been watching him silently.

  
"Aren't you going to open them?" he asked.

  
Christina finally remembered the smaller pile of presents in front of her. Presents that she'd told Dora she didn't want because she didn't care about Christmas. She unwrapped the first one and found two books she'd wanted to read. It brought a smile to her lips. She set them aside and opened a soft present. There was a knitted sweater inside, fluffy and warm.

  
Tic had already unwrapped the few presents he had left. Christina opened another hard gift and found a big encyclopedic book about animals. Dora took a picture of her somewhat dumbfounded expression at the sight of it. Christina looked at Dora with a small smile.

  
"Thank you."

  
Dora pulled Christina into a side-hug, and while Christina usually hated hugs, she let her.

  
"You're welcome."

  
The last present in Atticus' pile was actually for the two of them, but Christina let him tear it open, unveiling a game of Clue.

  
"Now, how about some waffles for breakfast?" Dora suggested.

  
Atticus's eyes grew wide.

  
"Waffles!"

  
"But no more than two, already? We want to save some space lunch."

  
While Dora went to the kitchen to finish preparing the waffle batter, Atticus tore his new robot free of the box. Christina went to the bedroom to get her reading glasses, then settled on the couch and opened the heavy animal book.

* * *

The traditional family Christmas lunch always took place at George and Hippolyta's place, because it was the only apartment big enough to fit six people around a table. When they arrived, the turkey was roasting in the oven. Hippolyta was feeding mashed potatoes to Diana, who would probably be taking a nap by the time dinner began. George was fixing Montrose a drink. After taking off his jacket, Atticus ran up to his father to show him his new favorite toy. Christina sat on a footstool in the corner and continued reading her book.

  
She tried to make herself as small as possible, but she could still feel Montrose's glare on her. He'd hated her even before his wife had taken her in, though he'd never been openly hostile to her, beyond bad looks. Christina didn't exactly understand what the situation between him and Dora was, why they were still married but he didn't live with them, and she'd never bothered to ask.

  
Christmas lunch went as smoothly as the one from the previous year. Despite Atticus's best efforts, there were leftovers. After the meal, most of the family crashed on the couch and struggled not to fall into a food-induced sleep, while on the TV an old Christmas movie played. Once again, Christina returned to her book, while on the carpet Atticus was playing with Diana, trying to teach her how to complete her jigsaw puzzle while she kept separating the pieces he'd put together.

  
There was laughter outside, and Atticus stood up and opened the frosted window to see into the street. Cold air sipped in, and George said:

  
"Atticus, stop playing with the window."

  
Atticus struggled to shut the window, then he asked:

  
"Can I go play outside? They're having a snowball fight."

  
"Sure," Dora said. "Take Christina with you."

  
Christina, who so far almost everyone had even forgotten was in the room, perked up.

  
"Do I have to?" she asked because she had absolutely no desire to go outside until she really needed to.

  
"At the rate you're going you'll be done with this book before the end of the day," Dora said. "Come on, I'm sure you'll have fun."

  
Reluctantly, Christina put on her shoes, wrapped herself in her coat and scarf, and followed her cousin downstairs.

  
The road had yet to be cleared, and with little to no cars driving by, the children of the neighborhood had taken over the street. All bundled up in their jackets, hidden between scarves and hats leaving only their eyes peering out, they were raging a war like only they knew how: with hastily made snowballs.

  
They were barely out that already a ball hit Atticus.

  
"I know it's you, Seymour!" he said as he picked up a bit of snow and ran after the kid who'd thrown snow on him.

  
Christina stood by the sideline for a moment, unsure how to proceed. She wasn't wearing any gloves and didn't particularly want to pick up snow with her bare hands. It didn't seem to phase the other kids. Just as she was considering turning back and going inside, she was hit by a snowball. Some sipped between the collar of her coat and her scarf and she held in a squeal. She recognized a group of boys from her school.

  
"You think just cause you camouflage in the snow we weren't going to see you!" one of them shouted.

  
Christina wanted to ignore them and return upstairs. But soon, three more balls were thrown her way, and she ran to hide behind the nearest car. With no other choice but to retaliate, she picked up snow and ignored the biting pain in her hands, before throwing the ball toward the boys. She hit one, but they began running after her.

  
Running and making snowballs at the same time wasn't Christina's forte. She feared she would trip over a hidden ice patch. Still, the boys were gaining on her. She felt at least two balls hit her in the back. Suddenly, they were hit by a barrage of snowballs. Christina noticed a barely standing snow wall, built between a streetlight and a fire hydrant. The Baptiste siblings were hidden behind, even Marvin. Ruby waved Christina over, and Christina ran up to them. She crouched behind the wall and let out a sigh of relief.

  
"Where's Tic?" Leti asked, with as much worry as if she were on a real battlefield.

  
Christina shrugged vaguely. Leti peaked over the wall.

  
"I see him!"

  
She picked up one ball in each hand from their pile and ran out of cover and toward her best friend. Meanwhile, Ruby was looking at Christina anxiously.

  
"Are you okay?"

  
Christina was still trying to calm her breathing. The cold air seemed to cut through her throat every time she inhaled. She nodded.

  
"Sometimes they hide stones in their snowballs," Ruby said as she brushed a bit of snow from Christina's jacket.

  
She looked back over the wall, threw two snowballs to the nearest targets, and turned back to Christina with a smile.

  
"Merry Christmas."

  
Christina could only smile back.

  
"Merry Christmas."

  
Marvin cursed as he found he was running out of snowball. He was by far the oldest on the battlefield at fourteen, and this gave them an edge, as most kids feared to even mess with the teenager.

  
"I need more snowballs," he said, like a sergeant asking for a grenade.

  
Ruby rolled her eyes and gathered snow from the nearest car. Then, with Christina's help, they made more snowballs.

  
"I see Leti," Marvin said, pointing to the other side of the street.

  
Letitia and Atticus were hidden behind a car, struggling to keep their position against the advancing enemy.

  
"I'll go get them," Marvin decided. "Keep the fort."

  
Much like Leti before him, he armed himself and ran after his youngest sister. The fort was left to Ruby and Christina, but Christina noticed quickly that with Marvin gone, no one seemed to care much about this crumbling wall of snow. Still, she helped Ruby reinforce it.

  
"Are all snowball fights so violent?" Christina asked.

  
Ruby looked at her with surprise.

  
"This can't be your first snowball fight, right?"

  
It wasn't and it was. She'd seen Tic and Leti throw snow at each other plenty of times in the past two winters, but she'd never partaken.

  
"Kinda."

  
Ruby rolled her eyes.

  
"Thank God we found you, or you would have been dead by now," Ruby said, and Christina wasn't certain she was joking.

  
A snowball lobbed over the low wall exploded right between them. They looked up. The kids from before were back.

  
"Come out! Ruby can't protect you forever!"

  
Christina looked at Ruby for guidance on how they should proceed.

  
"Let's destroy them."

  
Christina smiled and picked up a snowball. It was a hard fight. They received almost as much as they gave, and with a three to two fight, it wasn't exactly fair. Ruby was the first to be hit in the face, and she had to crouch back behind the wall. Christina turned to her with worry.

  
"Are you okay?"

  
"Yeah, it's just snow."

  
She brushed the snow out of her eyes and handed a snowball to Christina.

  
"Win for us, Chris," she said.

  
No one had ever given her a nickname before. She found she liked it. She nodded with determination and went back to the fight. Soon after, Leti and Tic swooped down on their enemies, guided by Marvin who was tall enough to scare them away. The five of them retreated behind the wall and Marvin said:

  
"They'll come back for more blood. We need to get ready."

  
"Hay, hay, captain," Leti shouted as she began making more snowballs.

  
Christina couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of the situation, but she went back to work anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! What do you mean it's not Christmas yet and this random chapter doesn't exempt me from writing a proper Christmas story? Oh well...  
> Side note, every time I try to write Christmas now my fingers write Christina instead. They've been rewired.  
> Anyway, as usual, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I will see you tomorrow for the next one!


	4. Warm Ballad

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Christina brings her homework to a very sick Ruby

Christina made her way to Ruby's apartment, her bag heavy with books. She'd just left school, and after making sure that she'd picked up everything she needed out of her locker, she'd taken the bus to Ruby's side of the neighborhood. The front door to the building was open, so she stepped in and climbed up to the fifth floor. She rang the door.

  
When Ruby came to open, she'd expected to find Leti on the other side. Instead, she frowned.

  
"Chris? What are you doing here?" Ruby asked with an obvious stuffy nose.

  
She looked as though she was struggling to keep her eyes open. Her hair was a mess as if she'd been sleeping on the same side of the pillow all afternoon. She was wrapped in a heavy sweater which probably belonged to Marvin, and there were a few tissues stuffed in the pockets.

  
"You didn't come yesterday. I got worried. I just wanted to check on you."

  
"I've got the flu and it's super contagious," Ruby replied before coughing in her elbow. "You shouldn't be here."

  
"I just wanted to make sure you were okay," Christina admitted. "And I brought homework."

  
With a sigh of resignation, Ruby stepped away and let Christina in.

  
"I'm better now. But I had a fever, so my mom said I didn't have to go to school."

  
She closed the door behind Christina. The blonde had been in Ruby's apartment a few times in the past few years. It always smelled like cold ash. Where most of her home was cluttered with books, Ruby's was cluttered with cards. It wasn't difficult to constitute a full deck to play with all the cards left lying about the living room alone. The living room was smaller, but there was an additional room, Marvin's room. Ruby and Leti had to share, but it wasn't difficult to tell whose side was whose. Ruby's was always neat, and Leti's decidedly wasn't.

  
Christina stepped over a collection of little plastic dolls forgotten near the entrance of the girls' bedroom and followed Ruby to her bed. Ruby settled against her pillow. She reached for the almost empty box of tissues balancing on the edge of her bedside table and blew her nose. Christina sat at the foot of the bed and opened her bag.

  
"Here."

  
She opened her notebook and pulled a bundle of pieces of paper she'd been accumulating over the past two days.

  
"Miss Jensen gave us our maths tests back. Mr. Flanagan said we'll have a science test next Friday."

  
She handed the bundle to Ruby who flipped through it and frowned.

  
"Wait, did you copy all the lessons for me?"

  
Christina shrugged.

  
"During lunch break. You weren't there so I thought I'd copy down the lessons for you, so I don't have to give you mine."

  
Ruby's eyes lingered on the math test. She'd received quite a good mark. Then, she looked at Christina, who seemed to be nervously waiting for a reaction.

  
"Thank you."

  
The words were interrupted by a cough. Ruby blew her nose then tugged the bundle of paper under the box of tissues. Christina was looking at her with worry, and Ruby rolled her eyes.

  
"I'm not going to die. I'll be back to school on Monday."

  
Christina pursed her lips worriedly and looked around the room. Ruby's prized guitar rested in the corner, as far away from Leti as possible.

  
"They left you alone all day?" Christina asked.

  
"Momma's at work. And my dad..."

  
Christina nodded. Ruby's father was always working out of town, God knew only where and doing what. For a while, Christina thought he was a professional poker player, but apparently, it wasn't the case.

  
"What if something bad happened to you?" Christina asked, still glancing behind her as if expected a competent adult to appear.

  
Ruby rolled her eyes.

  
"It's just a bad cold, and I'm doing much better anyway."

  
Christina's eyes fell on the guitar again. It was an old guitar, second hand, that Ruby had received for her eighth birthday. There were two different kinds of strings on it, one thinner than the other, and the strings curled up at the top looked like hair out of a ponytail.

  
"Do you want to see me play something?" Ruby asked.

  
Christina shook her head.

  
"Not if you're feeling bad."

  
Ruby coughed then reached for the guitar and returned to sit on her bed.

  
"I'm not."

  
She plugged the strings, checking that they were attuned. Then, she began playing something gently. Christina didn't recognize the song, but it was very enjoyable. After about thirty seconds, Ruby stopped.

  
"That's all I know of that song."

  
"You're really good."

  
Ruby smiled at the praise.

  
"Do you want me to teach you?"

  
Christina shrugged. She had no interest in music, and most of her musical knowledge came from Ruby herself.

  
"It's easy."

  
Carefully, Ruby passed the guitar over to Christina, who settled it on her lap as Ruby had. Then, Ruby took her hand in hers and placed the tip of her fingers on the right spots.

  
"Now pluck the strings."

  
Christina passed her thumb over the strings, and a dissonant sound echoed in the bedroom. Christina cringed and looked at Ruby, wondering what she'd done something wrong.

  
"Press harder on the strings," Ruby instructed.

  
Christina tried again, and while the sound was a bit better, it still wasn't quite right. Finally, Christina relented, giving the guitar back to Ruby. She looked at her hand with a pained expression, as the strings had left red indentations in the tip of her fingers.

  
"Is it supposed to do that?" she asked, showing off her hand.

  
"That's what happens when you start."

  
"Well, I don't like it."

  
Ruby placed the guitar back in the corner with a chuckle. When she settled back onto the bed, Christina was looking at her as if she were wondering what they were supposed to do now.

  
"You can leave if you want," Ruby said. "Marvin and Leti should be home soon."

  
"I'm not going to leave you alone. I mean unless you want me to leave you alone?"

  
"No, it's alright. We can just watch TV until they come back."

* * *

They settled on the couch and Ruby flipped through the channels until she found something she didn't mind watching. Christina sat near her, keeping a small space between them as if it would prevent Ruby's germs from getting to her. They watched the TV silently, occasionally laughing at the jokes, for about twenty minutes. Christina noticed from the corner of her eye that Ruby was shivering.

  
"Is the fever back?"

  
"No, it's fine."

  
Still, Christina did what she'd seen her mother do a long time ago. She reached for Ruby's forehead. It was warm and somewhat clammy.

  
"I just need a blanket," Ruby said, brushing Christina's hand away.

  
Without another word, Christina stood up and went to Ruby's bedroom. She returned with the blanket from her bed and was about to wrap it around Ruby when the other girl snatched it out of her hand and wrapped herself in it.

  
"I can do it myself."

  
"I just wanted to help."

  
Ruby bundled up under the blanket and already she seemed to be doing better. She leaned somewhat closer to Christina. They turned back to the TV. The main characters were at the cemetery, placing flowers on their mother's grave. Christina looked at the cards spread out on the table. The shift in her gaze was instantly noticed by Ruby.

  
"Do you want me to change?" Ruby asked.

  
Christina shook her head. As soon as the scene was over, she looked at the TV again.

  
"Do you miss them?" Ruby asked.

  
She'd never dared to ask anything about Christina's parents, mostly because she never spoke of them.

  
"I miss my mom," Christina answered honestly. "Not my dad."

  
"Do you go to see them sometimes?"

  
Christina shook her head.

  
"They're dead. It's just their dead bodies in there. Nothing else."

  
Ruby shrugged.

  
"Don't you think they'd like to know that you think of them?"

  
"I don't want to think of them," Christina replied just a bit too harshly.

  
Ruby leaned away from the blonde. Christina was refusing to look at her, her eyes looking at the TV.

  
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked," Ruby said.

  
After a moment of silent brooding, Christina sighed, and her anger seemed to deflate.

  
"I don't like to think about them," Christina said.

  
She paused as if she were considering her words carefully. Then, she said:

  
"Can I tell you something I haven't told anyone else? But you can't repeat it to anyone?"

  
Ruby nodded seriously. Christina took a deep breath, then explained:

  
"My parents didn't die in an accident. Everyone keeps telling that it was a tragic accident, but it wasn't at all. I saw their bodies. They were shot. And I think..."

  
She let out the breath she'd been holding, looking for the courage to voice her hypothesis.

  
"I've been thinking about it for a while, and I think my mom killed my dad and then killed herself."

  
It was the little things she couldn't quite get out of her head. The way her mother had put her to bed that evening as if it was the last time she would ever see her. The three gunshots which had woken her up, followed by a final one, as she raced around the house looking for her parents. A few years ago, it hadn't made sense. But now, it did.

  
Ruby looked at her with a mix of shock and pity, and Christina found she didn't like that look. She turned back to the TV, crossing her arms.

  
"It doesn't matter anyway," she said. "Dead is dead."

  
To her surprise, Ruby wrapped her in a hug. She was a bit too warm and sweaty for it to be enjoyable, but she let her.

  
"I promise I won't tell anyone."

  
Christina nodded as if the matter was closed. Ruby settled just a bit closer on the couch. Ten minutes later, she'd fallen asleep on Christina's shoulder. Christina thought her chest was just a little lighter. She'd never wanted to tell anyone about this, but to have told Ruby, it made her feel just a bit better.

* * *

When Christina woke up the next morning, she felt as though she were dying. She was boiling under her covers, but every time she tried to push them off of her, the biting cold air of the room would prompt her back under them. She tried to struggle out of bed in the morning, but as soon as Dora saw her flushed face and sweaty brow, she ordered her back to bed.

  
Christina spent the day in a loopy, half-awake state. She ate some soup and promptly returned to sleep. The wet cloth on her forehead turned warm so quickly that Dora had to cycle through a few to try and keep her temperature down. Finally, as the sun set, the fever broke. Despite having spent the day sleeping, she slept a full twelve hours that night. The next morning she was in a barely better state. She stayed in bed and read all day when she could keep her eyes open.

  
In the middle of the afternoon, while Atticus was out playing with Leti, Dora came knocking at her door.

  
"How are you feeling?" she asked.

  
She was holding the phone near her ear, but not talking into it directly. Christina wondered if she'd perhaps called a doctor.

  
"Better," she said after clearing her throat.

  
"I've got someone on the phone for you, do you want to talk?"

  
Christina frowned and shrugged. Dora handed her the phone and checked her temperature again before leaving.

  
"Hello?"

  
"Tic told me you're sick," Ruby said on the other side. "I'm so sorry."

  
"It's not your fault," Christina replied.

  
"Still, you shouldn't have come to see me on Friday."

  
"How are you feeling?" Christina asked.

  
"Better. I'm going to school tomorrow, so I'll bring your homework afterward. You just stay and rest until you're better."

  
Christina smiled.

  
"Thank you."

  
There was a break in the conversation, during which Christina thought she heard Ruby talking to her mother, then Ruby said:

  
"I have to go. See you tomorrow."

  
"See you."

  
Ruby hung up and Christina placed the phone beside her before settling back under the covers with a smile on her lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! They've finally reached the sixth grade!  
> And I know we've all become germaphobes in the past year or so and I was very grossed out while writing this chapter but I will not let covid take sick fics away from us!  
> Anyway, tomorrow's chapter is one of my favorites so be sure to tune in!


	5. The Camping Trip

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was the summer before Christina and Ruby started 8th grade, and all the kids pilled up at the back of Woody...

It was the summer before Christina and Ruby started 8th grade, and all the kids pilled up at the back of Woody. The folded seat at the back had been open to accommodate the five children. Diana had been secured in her booster seat. The two tents had been loaded at the trunk with a bunch of tightly packed sleeping bags. After saying goodbye to their parents, the kids settled in the car. Atticus and Leti rushed to get the folded seats. Ruby sat in the middle between Diana and Christina. After making sure that everything was packed, Hippolyta settled in the passenger seat and George behind the wheel.

  
"Who's ready to go camping?" George asked as he buckled his seatbelt.

  
"I am!" Leti and Tic shouted, loudly enough to cover Ruby and Diana's voices.

  
He turned on the engine and drove off. Atticus and Leti turned around, waving at their mothers on the sidewalk.

  
Soon after they'd left, a fight broke out between Leti and Ruby over which station they should listen to, but since Leti was farthest from the radio, she couldn't do much about it. Once this crisis was averted, Diana began asking when they would arrive. Ruby suggested she look out the window and count all the red cars she saw, and soon enough the little girl had fallen asleep. Most of the ride was spent singing. It started with Ruby singing along to every song on the radio, and soon enough she was being joined by Leti and Hippolyta. When even George and Atticus had begun to sing, and Ruby gave her a look, Christina had no choice but to sing along.

  
An hour or so later they were looking for the entrance to the camping. It wasn't long before George, who kept missing the right turn, grew frustrated and stopped the car to look at the map. Hippolyta talked him through it, showing clearly on the old folded map where to go, and finally, he understood. They found the entrance, got their spot, and drove up to lot 45B. George parked Woody in reverse, and finally, the kids were released from the car. Diana was awakened by her mother, and while she grumbled for a moment, she was soon as excited as her cousin.

  
Their camping spot was surrounded by trees and bushes, with no neighbors in sight. There was an old wooden picnic table in a corner and a campfire spot beside it. George had pulled both tents out of the trunk. Then, he surveyed the spot.

  
"Alright. Let's set up a tent over there, and another one here. Maybe we can move the table that way, it'll give us more space."

  
George went to try and lift the table and he let out a huff.

  
"Kids, help me."

  
Atticus and Leti each took a corner of the table to help uncle George, but it was still too difficult to move. Christina and Ruby went to take the two other corners, and finally, the heavy table let itself be moved. They settled it just as George wanted.

  
"Alright, this one is yours," George said, handing a tent to the four young teenagers.

  
George turned to Hippolyta for help, but she had to take Diana to the bathroom. He sighed and went to work alone. On the other side, the kids had pulled everything out of the bag. Ruby had been the first to get her hands on the instruction, and so she was the one telling everyone else what to do.

  
"You have to fit these here," she said with slight uncertainty.

  
Christina and Tic tried to do as she said, pulling and pushing the thin plastic poles in the tent cloth with mild success.

  
"Like that?" Atticus asked.

  
"I think so."

  
Leti sighed and took the instruction manual out of Ruby's hand, despite her protestation.

  
"No, not like that," Leti said after a glance at the plan.

  
She gave new instructions to the cousins, but still, the tent wouldn't take shape. Ruby took the instructions back from her sister's hands.

  
"You were looking at it the wrong way!"

  
Leti shrugged.

  
"If you're so good at it then just do it."

  
Atticus sighed and dropped the plastic poles, turning to his uncle.

  
"Uncle George? Can you..."

  
George seemed to struggle even more than they did, as he'd yet to find the right way to flip the tent and spread it on the ground, and he kept muttering to himself how it wasn't right. Atticus didn't finish his question. Fortunately, once Hippolyta returned, she straightened the situation swiftly.

* * *

The next morning Christina was awakened by the early birds chirping in the woods, and the sunlight streaming into the tent. She was swimming in her sleeping bag. The night hadn't been particularly cold, and with four people in a tiny tent, she should have known that she wasn't going to freeze to death. She was stuck between Atticus and Ruby. They'd wisely placed Ruby and Leti on either side of the tent, as far away from each other as possible. Tic was sleeping on his back, one leg sticking out of the bag. Ruby was on her side, angled toward Christina. Through the faint sunlight streaming into the tent, she could see how peaceful Ruby looked. She looked away and stared at the tent's dome roof.

  
All of the strange feelings she'd felt about Ruby as a child had been made clear some months ago. When Ruby had gone on a few dates with boys, and jealousy had spiked up in Christina suddenly. She wouldn't call it love, because love wasn't a real feeling, she thought. It had been a crush, which had turned to friendship, which had turned to more, but she refused to call it love. Now, she wasn't certain what to do with it more. What would Ruby think if she knew that sometimes – often – Christina wanted to kiss her? Would Ruby be disgusted by her? Would she never want to talk to her again?

  
She laid in the tent, thinking silently until Ruby stirred awake. Christina smiled at her as she struggled to clear the sleep out of her brain.

  
"Good morning."

  
"How long have you been awake?"

  
"I'm not sure."

  
Once everyone had been pulled out of bed, George attempted to make breakfast. He'd bought a special campfire coffee percolator for the trip, which he was very proud to demonstrate. He still burned the coffee, then realized they packed cereals but no milk, and so the kids ate dried cereals for breakfast.

  
"Who's excited about our walk today?" George asked after breakfast, as the kids gathered their clothes and toiletry to go and take a shower.

  
"Do we have to?" Tic asked with a groan. "I thought we were going to the beach today?"

  
"Yeah, me too," Leti added.

  
"The beach! The beach!" Diana began to chant from the table.

  
"How about that," Hippolyta suggested. "We go to the beach today, and tomorrow we'll take whichever trail you want."

  
George pretended to be thoughtful for a moment before he shrugged.

  
"Sure, let's go to the beach."

* * *

The beach was a short walk from the parking. It was a lovely warm day, and unsurprisingly, the dunes were filled with people. They found a spot near the tide. The lake spread out as far as the eye could see. It could have been the ocean for all they knew. Leti and Tic wanted to jump into the water but Hippolyta was quick to call them back before they could hit the water.

  
"Sunscreen."

  
The twelve-year-olds complained but applied sunscreen swiftly. Christina had spread her towel on the sand and was ready to spend the entire day reading her book. However, all of her thoughts went cross-wired when Ruby took off her dress. She was wearing a pink and orange two pieces swimsuit underneath. Now, Christina didn't make a habit of staring at her best friend. That wasn't true, she'd made habit of staring at her face, at her eyes, at her lips. It'd been a while since she'd seen her in a swimsuit. They'd both hit puberty since. But where Christina had had a sudden growth spur and turned into an awkward baby giraffe, Ruby had grown more beautiful and statuesque.

  
Ruby turned around and looked at Christina with a raised eyebrow.

  
"You okay? You look like you've already caught a sunburn..."

  
Christina looked away swiftly. She could still feel the heat in her cheeks, and she imagined her entire face must have been red. Ruby settled on the towel. Christina sat with her knees up to her chest, in Bermuda shorts and a tee-shirt.

  
"Aren't you gonna take off your clothes?" Ruby asked as she reached for the sunscreen.

  
Christina blinked and remembered that she'd yet to get out of her clothes. She pulled them off quickly and sat back down on the towel to fold her clothes neatly. Ruby handed her the sunscreen and she applied some quickly.

  
"Do you want me to do your back?" Ruby asked.

  
Christina nervously shook her head.

  
"No, I can take care of it."

  
She struggled through it and poorly applied sunscreen on her back then tried as hard as she could to focus on her book, and not on her best friend reclined under the sun beside her.

  
It took some time but eventually, Christina relaxed. She kept her eyes on her book and tried to get into the story. Beside her, Ruby was flipping through a magazine. Christina's gaze fell on the magazine from time to time, and Ruby's hand gripping the paper. She fought very hard the urge to reach for her hand and hold it.

  
Eventually, Ruby grew bored of the magazine and closed it off. She lay down on her back and placed an arm over her eyes to block out the sun. Christina dared a glance. The sunlight was making her skin glow. When she felt more heat returning to her face, the blonde looked away and returned to her book.

  
Neither of them heard her coming, even though she was running through the dunes. Suddenly, water splashed onto Ruby, a few drops hitting Christina's side. Ruby gasped and sat up just as Leti ran back to the lake laughing.

  
"Leti!" she shouted, before running after her.

  
Christina sat up, unsure of what to do. Atticus was standing in the water, watching the scene unfold with the same uncertainty. Hippolyta was near too, teaching Diana how to swim with a yellow duck buoy. George was seating on his towel as he, too, had been pulled from his book by Ruby's shout. Christina watched as Ruby ran after Leti until she had tackled her in the water. For a second, she feared that Ruby was about to drown Leti, and while she did keep her head underwater for a bit, she let her go. Leti emerged, hiccuping between two struggling breaths, still laughing, water dripping from her long hair and over her face.

  
Ruby turned around to look at Christina and waved her over. After a moment of hesitation, Christina left her towel and approached the gentle tide of the lake. The water came to lick her ankles and she was tempted to step back. Ruby came to stand closer to her until the water was at her knees.

  
"Tic said he saw a crayfish," Ruby said.

  
"I'm gonna try to catch it," Atticus shouted from further into the lake.

  
Christina stood in calf-high water, waiting for her body to acclimate to the lake. She crossed her arms.

  
"I bet it was just a stick. Tic doesn't have his glasses."

  
Ruby snickered. Where Christina had outgrown the need for glasses, Atticus still required them from the moment he woke up to the moment he went to bed. She did not doubt that without his glasses and in the less than clear waters of the lake, he could have mistaken anything for a crayfish. Christina walked further into the lake, feeling the wet sand sucking her feet below the ground.

  
Atticus emerged out of the water suddenly, letting out a long breath and gulping for air.

  
"I got one!" he shouted, holding his hands together.

  
He ran up to the older girls, Leti hot on his tail. When he slowly opened his hands to show them, they saw a small gray lobster, looking quite flustered to have been put out of its hiding place. It was just the size of Tic's palm, and when it tried to crawl toward the exit Tic shut his hands to prevent it from escaping.

  
"Put the poor thing back," Ruby instructed.

  
"Hold on, I'm gonna show uncle George."

  
Tic and Leti walked past them.

  
"Now I'm not sure I want to go in if there are crayfish," Christina said.

  
Ruby gave her no choice as she suddenly grabbed her arm and pulled her in. They tumbled into the water together. When Christina emerged, Ruby was laughing, and so she laughed too. She pushed her curtain of long hair out of her face. Ruby pointed to a float some fifty feet from the coast.

  
"Let's race. First to the float wins."

  
"You're so on," Christina said as she threw herself deeper into the water, not waiting for Ruby to announce the begging of the race.

  
Ruby laughed and swam in after her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And you know what the worst part is? I'm 100% sure Christina got a sunburn on her back because, in her gay panic, she poorly applied sunscreen...  
> Today I'm going to try and write a Christmas one-shot, but first I need to write my last essay for this semester. Writing the Christmas special is my reward for writing the essay (now you guys know why I need a hobby)  
> Yesterday I finished writing the next multi-chapter story which I think is the best one I've written since Our Song. Honestly, it's going to be a great one. And you already know what it's about, I already gave you a clue...  
> Anyway, as usual, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I'll see you tomorrow for the next one!


	6. The Nerd Squad

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ruby has to babysit the nerd squad to a nerd convention

Ruby had not signed up to spend her Saturday babysitting. However, someone needed to make sure that the nerd squad didn't buy a sword. She had no qualm referring to them as the nerd squad, because they had dragged her to the convention center to attend a nerd convention, and she would continue to call them the nerd squad until they left.

  
The convention center was jammed packed with thousands of people, some of whom wore elaborate costumes of their favorite characters. Ruby was not well versed enough in the culture to know half of these characters. She didn't even bother to ask, instead, she took pictures every time Leti asked her. She and Tic each wore a tee-shirt with a superhero on it. Christina wore no superhero shirt, nor any outright signs that she belonged at the convention, but the way her eyes flashed every time she saw something which interested her was enough of a sign.

  
From the moment they'd joined the queue to walk in, Ruby had known they would be there all day. The line was as long as one for an amusement park, but people were pushing each other to get access to a giant room filled with shops. As usual, Leti would have stepped on everyone if it had gotten her anywhere near the entrance quicker. Ruby bided her time. The day had only just begun.

  
When they were finally let in, twenty minutes later, she immediately had to restrain her sister, or else Leti might have just disappeared in the crowd, never to be seen again.

  
"Which way are we going?" Ruby asked, map in hand.

  
It looked like the map of a city, more than anything, with an almost perfect grid over two different buildings of the convention center. Leti vaguely shrugged.

  
"I don't know, we'll just wander around."

  
"Can't you be a bit organized, go from row to row?"

  
Leti and Tic looked at her as if the mere idea of being organized, at a convention, was nonsense. Christina glanced at the map over her shoulder and said:

  
"Let's go that way."

  
After another moment of hesitation, Leti and Tic walked to the right of the hall. Christina and Ruby followed. The hall was loud, between a different song blasting every two or three shops and a large number of people all talking at once, Ruby could barely hear herself think. She kept an eye on the two youngest teenagers, though it wasn't too complicated as they went from one table to the next. Christina stuck to her side, with her usual restraint. Only her eyes betrayed her excitement at the sight of certain objects, figurines, and even, to Ruby's surprise, plushes.

  
They stopped in front of a Japanese stall which sold a large variety of the same cat statuette. Ruby looked on with a slight frown, trying to understand why there would be so many different versions of the same cat. Christina must have noticed the slight furrow of her brow, as she explained:

  
"They're Maneki Neko. Lucky cats. The different colors and postures determine what beneficial element you want."

  
"They're all lucky?"

  
Christina nodded.

  
"Blue's for family, green for education, gold for money, black for protection. Well, it's more complicated than that."

  
As Leti and Tic had already moved on to the next stall, the two girls followed. Ruby asked:

  
"How do you know all that?"

  
"I read it," Christina replied with a slight shrug. "I got curious after first I saw all the cats too."

  
Ruby glanced across the aisle, and through the passing crowd she could see another table selling lucky cats, and she understood why Christina would have been curious.

* * *

After looking around the first hall for a good hour and a half – where had the time gone, Ruby wasn't sure – they stood in line to get some food before the line became too long. Very quickly, Leti decided to go and check out the giant plushes on a nearby stall. She dragged Tic with her, leaving Christina and Ruby to wait in line for them. Ruby sighed. As long as Leti didn't buy that giant sloth she'd been eyeing which would inevitably take up way too much space in their bedroom, it should be fine.

  
"I think I'm gonna get tacos," Christina muttered to herself as she looked at the menu.

  
Ruby glanced at the menu proudly on display above the stall.

  
"For that price, they better be worth it," she said.

  
"They probably won't be," Christina said knowingly.

  
Ruby sighed again.

  
"Sorry you had to come," Christina said.

  
"Who else was going to keep an eye on you idiots?" Ruby said with a sympathetic smile.

  
Christina rolled her eyes.

  
"It was just a joke, you know. We weren't really going to buy a sword."

  
"Well someone forgot to tell Leti because she was pretty sure you were."

  
"I wouldn't have let them."

  
Ruby crossed her arms and looked at the blonde with disbelief.

  
"Yeah, sure."

  
Leti and Tic returned just in time to order, thankfully with their arms free of plushes. Once they'd ordered and paid way too much money for such tiny tacos and burritos, they sat in a corner of the hall, as far away from the massive amps blasting music at all times. Almost as soon as she was done, Ruby thought she should have bought more, but the line was twice as long now, and there was no way she was waiting for so little food again.

  
"I don't even understand why you like going to these," she said.

  
"That's cause you don't like the same stuff we do," Leti replied as she finished her soda can.

  
"Like what? Star Wars?" Ruby pointed to a guy dressed as Darth Vader. "Didn't I take you to see all the new movies? They're okay but I wouldn't spend all my money on a goddamn tee-shirt."

  
Leti rolled her eyes.

  
"You just don't understand."

  
"That's what I said," Ruby replied with a frown.

  
"Let's go to the other hall," Leti said as she stood up and went to throw her things away.

  
After a moment of hesitation, Atticus followed. Christina sighed.

  
"Thanks for coming with us," she said as they stood up. "I'll make it up to you. We'll do whatever you want next Saturday."

  
Ruby shook her head.

  
"You don't have to make it up to me. I like spending time with you. You're like, the cutest nerd in this whole convention center."

  
Christina's face blazed up like a Christmas tree with only red tinsels. She looked away swiftly, pretending to be looking at the stalls beside her. Ruby couldn't help but smile. She'd noticed Christina's feelings. How couldn't she? It had taken her a while to figure it out, though. Things had begun changing between them around the time Ruby's started dating boys. At first, she'd thought Christina had been jealous because she wanted to go on dates too. But then, she'd realized that Christina was turning all the boys down. She'd thought about it long and hard until the truth had jumped out at her. Christina had a crush on her.

  
She didn't know how to feel about it, at first. She thought she'd imagined things. But why else would her best friend blush so hard every time she complimented her or hugged her? It had to be why she hated when Ruby went out with boys. In fact, it explained a lot. All of Christina's not so furtive glances, how she sometimes seemed to be weighing her words even though she knew she could tell Ruby anything. Eventually, Ruby decided she didn't care. She still loved her, as a friend. Even if Christina was a lesbian, or whatever she wanted to call herself. And her crush would pass eventually. It was nothing blowing their friendship over. Now, she only waited for Christina to come out to her.

  
Ruby was pulled out of her thoughts by Leti. Her sister rushed forward to a stall selling all sorts of masks, helmets, and hats. They had a whole set of cat ears on headbands. Leti picked up a pink one and handed it to Christina.

  
"Try it on."

  
Christina brushed the headband away.

  
"No, thank you."

  
"Oh, right, your thing is more horns than ears," Leti said sarcastically, pointing to a set of plastic horns on a headband, with very fake flowers around the horns.

  
Leti turned to Ruby.

  
"Come on, you try them on."

  
Ruby rolled her eyes. She knew that Leti wasn't going to stop until someone tried the damn cat ears on. She put them on and crossed her arms.

  
"Do I look as ridiculous as I feel?" she said.

  
Leti snapped a quick picture before she could take them off, and no matter how much Ruby glared at her, her younger sister wouldn't delete the picture. Meanwhile, the cousins were looking at the other headgear. Atticus was tempted to buy a wolf cowl, joking about putting it on at school the next winter, but the eyes were too goofy for his taste. After a moment of hesitation, Christina tried the horns on.

  
"What do you think?"

  
Ruby had been so focused on trying to get her hands on Leti's phone that she wasn't sure what Christina was talking about. When she turned to the blonde, she was stunned silent. Her long blonde hair framed her face. Horns now curled on either side of her head, connected by pastel-colored flowers. Something was happening that Ruby's brain couldn't understand. Christina stared at her with those blue eyes of hers. Ruby was certain she knew what color her eyes were, they'd been best friends for years. It never occurred to her that they were that blue. Her cheeks were still pink as her blush from before hadn't completely subsided.

  
"See, I told you horns were your thing," Leti chimed in.

  
Ruby blinked. Christina pulled the horns off of her head and set them back on the display, before brushing her hair back into place.

  
"No way I'm blowing forty bucks on a pair of horns I'm never going to wear."

  
Christina glanced at Ruby, who was still frozen in place. She frowned.

  
"You okay?"

  
Ruby's attention went from her heart beating just a bit too fast in her chest to Christina.

  
"Yeah, let's just keep moving," she said, brushing the whole matter off.

* * *

Ruby couldn't have a crush on Christina. Well, first, because she wasn't into girls. She would know if she were into girls, right? And second, she just loved Christina as a friend. Just a friend. She was just confusing platonic feelings with romantic feelings. It happened sometimes. Just like Leti had been sure Tic was going to ask her out, but he'd asked Ji-ah out instead. And Leti had been relieved about it. And Ruby wouldn't be mad if Christina ever asked her out, but she didn't particularly want to either. Right?

  
She spent most of the afternoon in a trance, lost deep in thoughts, contemplating that very sudden rush of feelings which had made its residence in her heart, and somehow wouldn't leave. She didn't have feelings for Christina. She didn't. Christina reached for a cute octopus plush and showed it off to Ruby with a smile, and Ruby's heart fluttered in her chest like a bird flapping its wings, hopping from branch to branch. This wasn't love. Was it?

  
She didn't know what to expect from love. She'd never felt anything with any of the boys she'd gone out, nothing beyond a slight knot in her stomach which had very quickly disappeared once the date had started, and they'd proven themselves to be stupid jerks. Sure, she'd seen enough romance movies and read enough novels to know what it was supposed to be like. But this didn't feel like it at all. Her feelings for Christina were not at all like that. She didn't feel the knot, but every time Christina smiled her way she felt a rush of warmth to her head, and all the same a cold, nervous feeling in her belly. Her heart kept fluttering so much she began to worry that it wasn't love but a real sickness that she should keep an eye out for.

  
The afternoon ended without a sword or a giant plush, to Ruby's relief. Leti had still bought a cute little rabbit, but it was the size of her hand, so it wasn't too bad. Still, the trio of nerds left the convention center with quite a few bags. They made their way to the subway. Ruby refused to carry anything for her sister, so Tic had to take some of her bags for her. Thankfully, the train cart was rather empty. They sat on a seat opposite the door, all side by side. Christina sat beside Ruby, their arms touching. The heat was back, but it had taken over Ruby's whole body now. She pursed her lips and said nothing. Truth be told she was tired. Between all the thinking and walking, she wanted nothing more than return home and crash on the couch. But she still had homework to do, and she would have dinner to prepare. The thought alone made her sigh.

  
"I got something for you," Christina said.

  
She pulled a small paper bag out of her jacket pocket and handed it to Ruby.

  
"You didn't have to."

  
Christina shrugged lightly.

  
"I just thought you might like it."

  
Ruby looked inside the bag. There was something small protected by bubble wrap. She unwrapped carefully, mindful of the shakes of the train. Inside was a tiny pink lucky cat, with its left paw raised to its ear.

  
"Thank you."

  
Without even thinking, Ruby pressed a kiss to Christina's cheek. It's what she would have usually done to thank the blonde. As expected, Christina looked away, her face turning as pink as the cat. But Ruby, too, felt heat creep up on her cheeks, and looked down, hoping Christina wouldn't notice. She wrapped the cat carefully and placed it in the bag.

  
"What's pink for?" Ruby asked after clearing her throat.

  
Christina pursed her lips.

  
"I... I don't remember," she replied, and Ruby had no trouble to know that it was a lie. Never mind, she thought, she'll look it up when she returned home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I miss conventions ;-;  
> Anyway, before I forget, a huge thank you to AgentSheryl who helped me come up with the ideas for this chapter and also with tomorrow's chapter! Thank you again, my friend, I hope you enjoyed the final result!  
> Ruby at a convention is basically my mom. She came with us once and never again, it was absolutely not her thing.  
> Anyway, I'm off to write the Christmas special I didn't have time to write yesterday, because I wrote a 10 pages essay on the first episode of Lovecraft Country instead (that's what my teacher gets for not giving us a number of pages limitation) See you tomorrow!


	7. Prom Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the tale of two oblivious idiots in love, and the prom that brought them together

Christina was pacing her side of the bedroom. Tic could see her shadow going back and forth through the curtains. A few years back a few curtains had been raised to give the cousins a bit of privacy, even if it didn't give much privacy at all. Atticus was laying in bed, trying to read, but with Christina's frantic pacing, it was difficult to focus on the pages. Finally, he grew tired of it and stood out of bed. He pulled the curtain open, and Christina stopped.

  
"Just ask her," he said.

  
"But what if she says no? What if she's disgusted by the idea, and she doesn't want to talk to me anymore?"

  
Atticus sighed. Anyone could see that Ruby and Christina were into each other, except maybe Christina and Ruby themselves. At least Christina didn't see it at all. Maybe years of hopelessly pining had rendered her completely blind.

  
"She'll say yes and you'll go to the prom together, and you will finally stop obsessing over her."

Christina crossed her arms.

  
"I'm not obsessing over her."

  
"Sure. Now, can you please just ask her to the prom?"

  
Christina bit her lower lip, and Atticus knew that she was about to launch into another monologue. He groaned and shut the curtain before she could.

* * *

"I just don't want to stop any plans that she might have, you know?"

  
Leti rolled her eyes and hummed. She was seating on her bed, painting her toenails. Ruby sat in her bed, her phone resting by her crossed legs, as she waited for a phone call that would probably never come.

  
"Seriously, what plans could she have? On the Friday night of the prom? Or any Friday nights for that matter?"

  
Ruby shrugged.

  
"But what if she's going to ask me tomorrow?"

  
Letitia wanted to scream. They'd gone over this a hundred times already. Christina wasn't going to ask her on a date, or to the prom, because she was an oblivious idiot. If Ruby wanted her, she would have to go and ask her.

  
"I'm pretty sure if she wanted to ask you she would have done it weeks ago."

  
Not the last Friday before the prom, Leti thought with another eye roll.

  
"You're right, she probably doesn't want to go to the prom."

  
Leti closed her polish bottle with frustration.

  
"For God's sake just ask her! If she doesn't want to go with you, she'll tell you, alright?"

  
Ruby frowned.

  
"I didn't think that she might not want to go with me..." she said sadly.

  
If Leti's polish hadn't been too fresh, she would have stormed out of the room.

* * *

Neither Christina nor Ruby had broached the subject of the prom when they arrived at school the next morning. In fact, prom seemed like a foreign concept to either of them. Where everyone in their class was talking about what clothes they were wearing, and who they were going to vote for as prom king and queen, Christina and Ruby talked about the next movie they should go and see. If prom ever entered their minds, it was unceremoniously ejected.

  
It wasn't until lunch that they were confronted by prom. A guy jumped on a table and asked a girl to go with him, flower bouquet and all. He was promptly turned down by the girl, who already had a date. As he walked away, dejected, his friends trying to comfort him, Christina said:

  
"That was embarrassing. I hate that sort of display."

  
Ruby nodded.

  
"Poor guy should have thought about it twice before jumping on a table."

  
"I'm glad no one tried to ask me like that."

  
"Yeah, me too."

  
After a moment of pause, Ruby asked:

  
"Are you going to prom, by the way?"

  
Christina shrugged.

  
"Probably. But I should find something to wear this weekend."

  
"We could go together," Ruby suggested casually.

  
"Yeah, it could be fun. I could use someone's help to pick between a suit and a dress."

  
Christina paused as she took a sip of water, then asked:

  
"Wait, did you mean go shopping or to the prom?"

  
"Both," Ruby replied hurriedly. "I mean if you want to."

  
"Yeah, sure."

* * *

Ruby couldn't believe that it had been so easy to invite Christina to the prom. Not only that, but the blonde hadn't even made a big deal out of it. When she told Leti, her sister asked:

  
"Are you sure she knows it's a date?"

  
"Why else would I have invited her to prom for?"

  
Leti shrugged.

  
"She's a lot more obvious than you think."

  
Ruby ignored her. On Saturday afternoon, they met at the mall and went in search of an outfit for the ball. Ruby had been saving up in hopes to find a nice dress. Christina was on a tighter budget, but she would be satisfied with anything, she said. The mall was crawling with teenagers and parents looking for a dress or a pair of shoes or a suit. One specialized shop was making a deal on rented assorted outfits, and so Ruby decided they should check it out.

  
"I didn't think it would matter whether we were assorted," Christina said as they stepped into the shop.

  
Ruby began flipping through the racks.

  
"We don't have to if you don't want to," she said.

  
"No, I mean, if we can save up some money, it's fine."

  
They both flipped through a few racks until Ruby had collected quite a few dresses. Christina had also found a few, but since they didn't know what constituted an assorted outfit, she decided to wait until Ruby had chosen to pick hers. She sat on the couch and texted Atticus while Ruby tried on her dresses.

  
The first one she outright didn't like, and she didn't even come out to ask Christina's advice. The second, however, she loved very much. When she came out, Christina looked up and almost dropped her phone. Ruby was wearing a blue and white dress with thin straps over her shoulders and a low cut. The dress fell to her feet. The blue satin had been embroidered with a beautiful white pattern of leaves and irises.

  
"So, what do you think?" Ruby asked as she looked at herself in the mirror again, before turning to Christina.

  
"It's..."

  
Christina swallowed, her mouth dry.

  
"It's great."

  
"I think so too. I'll try on the other ones but this one is my top contender for now."

  
She tried on a yellow dress, the straps falling off the shoulders and on her arms. Then, she tried on an orange dress with a flowing skirt, but she didn't like the color on her. She settled on the blue and white dress. All the while, Christina had not been a very good help. Her reaction was the same for every dress. Her jaw dropped, every single time. Ruby was very pleased with Christina's amazement.

  
Once Ruby had her dress, they set out to find one for Christina. However, they were informed by one of the vendors that the matching outfit deal only worked if they rented a dress and a suit. So, Christina shrugged and went to the suit section. They were all tailored for men, but she found a white and blue one that would fit. The jacket was blue with thin white stripes, the shirt was white and the pants were blue, with a blue bow tie. Christina didn't bother to try it on. They went to the cash register but Christina realized she was a few dollars short. Ruby offered to pay for her.

  
"This is ridiculous," Christina complained as Ruby paid. "I'm supposed to have all this money stored in a vault somewhere and I can't access it until I turn eighteen."

  
"You'll just pay me back then," Ruby said as she handed all of their bags to Christina, who took them without complaining.

* * *

On Friday evening Christina was running through the small apartment getting ready. Atticus was very glad he was too young to go to prom. Dora was fussing as if she were sending her daughter to be married, which at this point, wasn't far from the truth. The jacket was just a bit too wide, it gave her even squarer shoulders than usual. She stayed in the bathroom for fifteen minutes, putting on the bow tie, putting it off, opening up the collar, finding it too sexy for a simple evening out with friends, and finally put the bow tie back on.

  
Once her hair was curled and her makeup done, she checked herself in the mirror one last time and put on her high heels. She'd bought them a while back when she and Dora had gone shopping and never put them on because she had no reason to. But now she had a reason to. She'd been training to walk with them after school every day for a week now because she didn't want to trip.

  
"One picture before you go?" Dora asked.

  
Christina let her. She wasn't late yet. She'd borrowed Woody and had to pick up Ruby to drive them there.

  
Ruby was waiting in her apartment. When Christina rang, she shouted to her mother that she was going, stepped out, and shut the door behind her, so that no one else would see Christina. Once again, Christina was gobsmacked. She'd seen Ruby in the dress before, but the effect was not lessened in the slightest. The dress seemed to have been made for her. She'd done her hair and put white flowers in them. All she was missing was a corsage, which Christina didn't have, and hadn't even considered for a second buying. It would have been weird for friends. Still, Ruby handed her a white rose for her buttonhole.

  
"Thanks," Christina mumbled, stiff as a board as Ruby pinned the flower to her pocket. "Are you good to go?"

  
"Yeah, let's."

  
The drive to the school was silent. Christina nervously drummed her fingers on the steering wheel, out of rhythm with the music. Ruby was glancing out the window then back at Christina, wringing her hands nervously. They parked by the gymnasium and walked inside. The music was louder than Christina had imagined. The gym was already packed and the night had just begun. They snaked their way through the crowd. Christina wanted to take Ruby's hand to keep from losing her, but she refrained. Instead, Ruby took her hand. She decided the loud beating of her heart was due to the bass of the music, and not the warm feeling of Ruby's hands in hers.

  
They grabbed a drink before anyone could spike it and settled against a wall, watching the couples and groups of friends dance. They stayed there side by side for a long while. One song passed, then another. Neither exchanged a word. Christina was staring at her plastic cup because she didn't know what else to say or do. Maybe it hadn't been such a good idea to come. Usually, she wouldn't have minded but half of the songs were romantic songs.

  
Another song began, and Ruby hummed beside her.

  
"I like this song," she said, loudly enough for Christina to hear and hopefully take the hint.

  
"I like it too," Christina said. "It's not her best, but it's catchy enough. I wouldn't listen to it all day but..."

  
Christina was interrupted when Ruby grabbed her hand and stared her right in the eyes.

  
"Shut up and dance with me."

  
It was an order, and Christina wasn't about to protest. She let herself be dragged to the dance floor. Ruby began dancing with ease. Christina was a bit stiff at first, but after a moment, she loosened and began having fun. She and Ruby danced to the song, and the next, and the next. Christina began to forget everyone around them and simply smiled at Ruby.

  
Suddenly, a slow song was put on. Before Christina could move away, she was pulled closer by Ruby. Christina put her hands on Ruby's waist, not sure what to do with them while Ruby held onto her shoulders. As the song continued, Ruby brought them closer and rested her head against Christina's shoulder. A long shiver ran down the blonde's back.

  
"Can I ask you a question?" she said tentatively.

  
Ruby hummed against her, and despite the shirt and the jacket, Christina swore she could feel her breath on her skin.

  
"Is this a date?" she asked.

  
Ruby frowned and straightened to look at her.

  
"Does it not look like a date?"

  
"No, I mean, I don't know? I thought we were just going as friends. Not that I mind going on a date with you. Being on a date with you," she corrected herself quickly. "So is this a date?"

  
Ruby rolled her eyes.

  
"You talk too much."

  
She leaned closer, her nose bumping with Christina's. She stayed there for a second, breathing Christina's air until the blonde finally leaned it. Christina wouldn't say that it was fireworks. Fireworks wouldn't come even close to what they were sharing. The music may have changed, the crowd around them may have grown rowdy again, but there was only them. Christina's hand cupped Ruby's cheek, her thumb rubbing over her cheekbone. They parted, and Christina chased her lips. They parted for good, smiling at each other.

  
"It's about time," Ruby said.

  
"I'll make it up to you," Christina assured as she leaned in for another kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I admit I read a thread about oblivious lesbians on dates they didn't even know were dates before writing this chapter.  
> But wait, if they get together now, what's going to happen in the last chapter, you ask... You'll just have to tune in tomorrow to find out!  
> Also, I'm still not done writing the Christmas story, can you believe it!  
> Anyway, as usual, I hope you've enjoyed this chapter and I'll see you tomorrow for the last one!


	8. Destiny

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On her eighteenth birthday, Christina inherits everything

Christina and Dora had been escorted to a conference room by the receptionist. While Dora sat down, Christina was too full of feelings to sit. Instead, she stood by the window, watching the city below. It was a clear February day, cold but cloudless. It was her birthday. Her eighteenth birthday.

  
The door opened, and a man carrying a thick sealed envelope stepped in. He was wearing a navy suit and a red tie, the few silver hairs he had left combed to the side. After he shut the door behind him, he turned to Christina.

  
"Miss Braithwhite? I'm Sean Daniels, your late parents' attorney."

  
She shook his wrinkled hand. The lawyer then turned to Dora and shook her hand.

  
"You must be Mrs. Freeman. Thank you for coming."

  
He sat down at the end of the table and motioned for Christina to sit in the chair near his. She did so silently. He placed the envelope in front of him and entwined his fingers.

  
"I'm sure you're excited to know what you've inherited, so I'll spare you the details."

  
He pushed the envelope toward her, and Christina reached for it with slightly trembling fingers. She flipped it over. The seal over the envelope was a symbol she was familiar with, half a sun and half a moon. She broke the seal and pulled the content out of the envelope. There was a hefty pile of documents, not one but two different wills, one from her father and the other from her mother. Then, another envelope fell out, smaller, white, with her name perfectly traced in ink on the front.

  
She flipped through her father's testament quickly. It was one long list of all the properties she'd inherited. The house in Ardham. The house in Boston. The Cunningham house in Chicago. The content of the family bank account and all the shares and stocks the family had accumulated. All to be given to her once she reached the age of eighteen. The family business, the cars, the family heirlooms. All hers.

  
Once Christina had recovered from the amount she'd just inherited, she placed the first will aside and looked to the second. It was much shorter. Everything which belonged to the Cunningham family had fallen to the Braithwhites when her mother had married her father. Her fortune had been merged with his. The will, however, went into greater details about what to do in case of their untimely death. Her mother wanted to be buried in her family vault, not with her husband. Christina was to be taken care of by her next of kin. Dora Freeman. Dora's name was spelled explicitly on the will. Christina had always thought that it had been a struck of luck that she'd fallen under Dora's care. Apparently, it had been planned by her mother. When she checked the date of the will, she found it had been last changed a week before the accident.

  
With trembling fingers, Christina placed the piece of paper on the table and stood out of the chair. Her breath was shaky. Her whole body was trembling. She could see only one reason why her mother would have updated her will a week before her death. Because she knew she was going to die.

  
"Christina?" Dora called her gently, with concern.

  
Christina took a deep breath and came to stand by the table again. She turned to the lawyer.

  
"How do I get access to all of it?" she asked, picking up her father's will.

  
"We'll need to make an appointment at the bank to transfer the accounts to your name. The keys of the various houses and vehicles are stored in a vault there too."

  
Christina nodded.

  
"Do I have to sign anything?"

  
The lawyer handed her a pen. She quickly signed everything, picked up the unopened letter, and left the office.

* * *

The ride home was tense. Dora drove, glancing nervously at Christina from time to time. Christina held the letter tightly in her hands. Dora feared she was going to rip it to pieces. The blonde's jaw was set tensely. Her eyes were looking ahead of them, though Dora could tell she was so deep in thoughts that the world was out of her sight.

  
"How about we stop somewhere to get a milkshake?" Dora proposed. "Just to give you time to process."

  
"I don't need time to process," Christina said quietly.

  
She placed the letter on the dashboard. Her name reflected back at her on the windshield.

  
"Did you know she named you as my legal guardian?" Christina asked.

  
"I did," Dora replied. "I'd met her once. Three weeks before the accident. She told me she'd been doing some research into your father's finances and she saw that they'd stop paying the money they owed my family. So she wanted to make it right and give it to me all at once."

  
"What did you do?"

  
"I took the money and set it aside to put Tic through college. I still haven't touched it."

  
Christina pursed her lips.

  
"It's the only time you've met her?"

  
Dora sighed.

  
"I was very surprised when they called me about you. But I'm very glad I agreed," she added with a smile toward the blonde.

  
A small smile tugged at the corner of Christina's lips. She glanced back at the letter. She imagined she knew who'd left it, but she wasn't certain she wanted to open it.

  
To her surprise, they didn't return home. Instead, Dora parked in front of the Freeman's traveling agency. The windows were dark, the curtains were drawn, and the sign flipped to 'Sorry, we're close'.

  
"Why are we here?" Christina asked.

  
"I just have to pick up something from Hippolyta."

  
They stepped out of the car. Christina found it strange that the shop was closed on a Saturday. Still, she followed Dora inside.

  
"Happy Birthday!"

  
The lights were turned on as Christina flinched back in surprise. Everyone was standing around a table, with a big cake in the middle, and eighteen candles on top. Atticus and Diana were armed with bags of confetti which they'd thrown her way. Leti was holding the camera, ready to snap a picture. A large banner spelling 'Happy 18th Birthday' was hung over them. Dora had moved to stand aside with the other adults. George and Hippolyta were there, obviously, but even Montrose and Sammy had come too. Ruby walked up to her girlfriend and instantly any gloomy thoughts disappeared from her mind.

  
"Happy Birthday," Ruby said as she took her hand in hers.

  
She intended to lead her further into the room, toward the cake. Instead, Christina pulled her flushed against her and kissed her. Behind them, Diana made a disgusted face and Leti rolled her eyes. When they parted, Christina asked:

  
"Did you plan all this for me?"

  
"I helped, but it wasn't my idea."

  
Christina looked over her shoulder to Dora who winked at her. Christina smiled, the dark clouds in her mind blown away by joyous winds.

  
"Now come on, I want cake!" Diana shouted.

  
Christina was pulled to the cake as George and Atticus hurried to light all eighteen candles.

  
"Make a wish," Ruby said before Christina could blow up the candles.

  
Christina thought very hard of what she could wish for, couldn't come up with an answer, and simply asked for a kiss. She blew out all eighteen candles, then turned to Ruby and pulled her into another kiss.

* * *

The cake was cut, the presents were open – except Ruby's, this one she wasn't allowed to get her hands on until later, Ruby had said with a wink. Christina had almost forgotten about the will and the letter on the dashboard of Woody until Ruby asked:

  
"So, how did it go with the lawyer?"

  
They were seated on a couch at the back of the shop, empty paper plates discarded on the table in front of them. Christina pursed her lips.

  
"I'm a billionaire now," Christina said, attempting a joke. "I have a house here, actually. Maybe we could check it out once I have the keys."

  
Christina stopped and Ruby could tell there was more. She took Christina's hand in hers and said:

  
"You can tell me."

  
The blonde sighed.

  
"My mother changed her will a week before her death. It can't be a coincidence. I was right."

  
Ruby squeezed her hand, her thumb smoothing over pale skin.

  
"I'm sorry."

  
"She left me a letter," Christina confessed. "It's in the car, I haven't read it yet. I don't think I will."

  
"Why not? Maybe she's explaining what she did."

  
"But if she doesn't?" Christina countered, raising her voice, straightening up on the couch.

  
When everyone's gaze fell on her she lowered her voice again and asked:

  
"What if I never get any answers for what happened that night?"

  
"She was your mother, Chris, you've known her for the first eight years of your life. What do you think? Why would she have left a letter behind for you?"

  
Christina frowned, deep in thoughts. She tried to remember what she could about her mother. It would be ten years soon. She couldn't quite remember anything about her. Not what she looked like, or what she sounded like. The only thing that she remembered was a general impression of softness, of kindness, of love.

  
"I don't know."

* * *

Ruby had rented a hotel room for them, in a nice hotel. That wasn't the gift, although Christina truly appreciated it. It was almost impossible to get any privacy in those tiny apartments of theirs. This was also why Christina was very excited to get her hands on the Chicago house, a place that could be their own. They ordered room service for dinner and ate amidst a pile of fluffy blankets. And then, Ruby unveiled the real birthday gift, the set of lingerie she'd bought specifically so Christina could peel it off of her.

  
They woke up cuddling as the sun was already high. Christina was curled in Ruby's arms. The blonde revealed in their closeness, how warm skin touched warmer skin, unhindered. She reached for her phone on the bedside table and checked the time. It was almost nine on a Sunday. Usually, she would have been up and about already. But on that Sunday, she wanted nothing more than to stay nestled in Ruby's arms and forget time.

  
When she felt feather-light kisses against her shoulders and neck, she turned around in Ruby's arms to face her girlfriend.

  
"Good morning."

  
"Good morning."

  
They kissed. Already Christina's hand was snaking down Ruby's arms and to her waist.

  
"When do we have to leave the room?"

  
"Before twelve, I think?" Ruby whispered between kisses.

  
"We've got time then."

* * *

Ruby was under the shower, washing up before they left the room. Christina was already dressed, brushing the moisture out of her hair with a towel. They fell in dark blonde stands over her shoulders, and she wanted to keep her woolen sweater as dry as possible before they stepped out into the cold February day. As she went to close off her bag, she saw the letter sticking out of the front pocket. She'd stuffed it in her bag the day before but had yet to read it.

  
She took the letter out and sat on the bed. She flipped it around. There was nothing on the back, just another wax seal, this one with a strange symbol on it, a dot with lines around it, like a sun. She bit her lower lip and finally let curiosity get the better of her. She broke off the seal and opened the letter. There was just one simple folded piece of paper inside. She pulled it out and unfolded it. Her mother's handwriting was smooth and easy to decipher.

_My dearest Christina,_

_If this letter ever finds you then I have succeeded in rooting the evil from your life and I have lost my life in doing so. I do not know what you remember of me, or how you remember me. I can only hope that it is fondly, and not as a murderer or a madwoman. But I owe it to you to explain it all._

  
_Your father was a bad man, hungry for power. Had I known that side of him when I married him I would have run, but by the time I did, it was too late. I had to think of you first and me second, but there was only so much I could do to protect you from his wrath. You might say there were other outs but I have tried so many times and I cannot see any other options. Once my last will has been approved, I will tuck this letter with it, I will take your father's gun and kill him._

  
_I've arranged for you to stay with a kind woman. I know she will take good care of you and help you become the best person you can be. I wish I could have been there to do it, but I'm dying. My time with you is already numbered, and while it breaks my heart to have to shorten it, I need to act now, while I still have my strength. Before it's too late and you fall to your father's mercy._

  
_Know that as I leave this world my mind is only on you. I love you my darling, more than anything in this world. I wish you the long and happy life I never had._

_With all my heart,_

  
_Your mother who loves you._

Christina didn't hear the shower being turned off. She didn't hear Ruby, dressed and ready to leave, stepping out of the bathroom. But she heard a tear crashing onto the paper, deafening. The next second, Ruby's arms were wrapped around her, pulling her into a hug. Christina let go of the letter, and buried her face in Ruby's shoulder, releasing ten years worth of grief.

* * *

The sky was light gray, the perfect color for a trip to the cemetery. With difficulty, Christina pinpointed the location of the Cunningham vault. She carried a bouquet in one hand, the other holding onto Ruby's hand. When they reached the vault and its closed door, she finally let go of her girlfriend's hand.

  
"Do you want me to come with you?" Ruby asked.

  
Christina shook her head.

  
"It'll be just a moment," she promised.

  
She pushed the door open and stepped inside. The smell of dust was overwhelming. There was a stone bench in the middle of the vault and a small, cathedral-like window in the wall opposite to the entrance. Statues of angels decorated each corner. There were vaults on the walls, containing her ancestors. Her mother was to the right, just at her eye level. There was no bouquet hanging by the stone. She placed a hand on the stone, collecting dust on her fingertips. With one grand brush of the hand, she cleared her mother's name.

  
"Hey, mom."

  
She set the bouquet by her mother's stone and placed her hand on the golden letters of her name.

  
"Maybe I should have come by earlier. I have a lot to tell you. But the love of my life is waiting outside and I don't want to keep her waiting for too long. I just wanted you to know that I'm happy."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I hope you enjoyed this story! Thank you for reading until the end!  
> I will be back tomorrow with a brand new story, as I promised. It will be my 160th story on this website, the 15th for this particular ship. I'm not telling you what it's about I want to keep it a secret, but I'll give you the title (let me know in the comments if you've figured out what it's about already) My next story is titled "Hollowness, or the Beginning and the End of the Ship of Dreams"  
> Anyway, I'm off to write some more, so once again, I hope you've enjoyed this story and I hope you have a nice week!


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